


I'll keep a bonfire for you

by 7iris, HelenOrvana



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Pittsburgh Penguins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-17 14:29:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1391143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7iris/pseuds/7iris, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenOrvana/pseuds/HelenOrvana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beau has a good feeling about this season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Hockey Reverse Big Bang Challenge, for HelenOrvana's podfic prompt (listen to it [here](http://helenorvana.dreamwidth.org/20545.html) or read the transcript below). HelenOrvana came up with a lot of the cool world-building details, and I'm glad I got to play around with this prompt! Huge thanks also to secrethappiness for the beta!
> 
> Warnings for dubious consent of the sex-pollen/in-heat variety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a transcript of the podfic prompt helenorvana created for the Hockey Reverse Big Bang. You can listen to it [here](http://helenorvana.dreamwidth.org/20545.html)!

_Geno glanced up when one of the athletic trainers tapped his shoulder. "Hey Geno, they want you up front for a minute."_

_He frowned even as he bookmarked the page and set his reader aside. "Something wrong?" he asked._

_The trainer shook his head apologetically. "I'm just the errand boy, sorry." He didn't follow Geno forward, instead continuing back toward the sealed-off rear compartment of the plane._

_Most of the guys he passed on the way to the front were asleep, a smart move with at least ten hours to go before they landed in Sweden. The night outside the windows was pitch-black, not even the twinkle of stars or glow of the moon to break up the darkness._

_He didn't really start to worry until he caught sight of Sidney huddled up with Rick the physical therapist and Dr. Harner. That sweet scent he'd been smelling for the last little while suddenly took on a whole different context when the medical staff wanted to talk to the only two alphas on the plane. Abruptly, he remembered trainer-Chris and Beau walking past him towards the back, just after that scent started filling the air..._

_"What happen, what problem?" he asked as soon as he dropped into the seat beside Sidney. Dr. Harner grimaced._

_"Medical need-to-know - Beau's an omega," he stated bluntly, and Geno's stomach dropped. No one was required to announce their dynamic to anyone but necessary medical personnel, although it was hard not to notice the alphas. It was hardly taboo to talk about, but to be told someone else's dynamic because of medical need was...never a good sign, to put it mildly. "You probably haven't noticed because he doesn't have a regular heat cycle."_

_"He had a panic-heat?" Sidney demanded, incredulous. "Here?" It took Geno a minute to connect the dots Sidney had, but it made sense. Omegas with irregular heat cycles almost always had panic-heats, but only when they were stressed or worried or scared. None of which Beau should be feeling on a plane over the Atlantic surrounded by his team._

_"No, he doesn't panic-heat," Dr. Harner corrected. "He safe-heats, which, I don't know if you remember your high school biology classes at all, but it's just about as bad as panic-heating. Same heat fever, same inability to break it solo. The main difference - well, except that safe-heats are so rare and last longest - is that only alphas can break them. We're far enough out now that we don't have time to turn back and get him a therapy alpha - it started about a half-hour ago, and his temperature's already climbed to 105." He leaned across the aisle and leveled both alphas with a no-nonsense look. "This is not something I'd normally ask of either of you, but I'm legally required to demand it. At the rate his fever's been climbing and as quickly as the heat set in, he'll be at risk of irreparable brain damage within the next hour. One of you needs to ride it through with him, I do not care which. And if one of you is not enough, I will send in the other."_

_"There is a significant chance of permanent bonding with this sort of heat," Rick piped up from over Dr. Harner's shoulder. "I don't know the exact numbers, but it's much more likely to happen than not." He waved his phone at them, which looked like it was displaying a text message. "Bear in mind, Chris says he's no longer coherent."_

_Sidney's expression congealed, and Geno agreed. Not coherent meant begging forgiveness after the fact, not asking for permission beforehand. They might've thought to get Beau to sign a generic emergency consent form before it got that far - for that matter, it might be a required part of his medical paperwork, given his circumstances - but Beau didn't have time for Geno to dwell on it. Firmly shoving his questions and doubts to the back of his mind to be dealt with later, he nodded. "I'll do," he said. "Is my linemate," he added when Sidney opened his mouth to object, probably on principle. Whatever his personal preferences for sexual partners, he was a good captain. And Beau was still his linemate, at least until Duper finally retired and Beau moved up to Sidney's wing._

_Dr Harner didn't give them time to argue about it, in any case. "You've got half an hour. If the fever hasn't broken by then, never mind the heat itself, Sidney, you'll have to go as well." Everyone nodded unhappy assent, and then Geno rose to follow Harner back to the rear compartment. All planes were required to be equipped with a scent-sealed compartment for emergencies, though it was still a huge scandal if one ever needed to be used. Geno had a minute to collect his bearings while Dr Harner unsealed the compartment, but it was all for naught when Geno stepped inside._

_He didn't notice trainer!Chris slipping by and sealing the compartment behind him again. Beau's sent was thick in the air, sweet but with the faintest sour taint that set all his alpha instincts, usually well-leashed, leaping to attention. This was a distressed omega, nevermind how the heat had started. Beau was sweat-drenched and writhing weakly on the narrow bed, skin flushed red and eyes, when Geno caught sight of them, glassy and unseeing. "Oh, Sunshine," he murmured softly in Russian as he stepped up and hovered a hand over his helpless linemate. "I'll make this better, I promise."_

_\---_

_Sidney couldn't get his mind to settle, unable to focus on anything more than checking his phone obsessively as he waited. He wasn't surprised when Dr Harner fetched him from his seat by Flower again half an hour after he'd left with Geno. "I'm sorry, Sid. Geno's not enough - we need you to go back."_

_Sidney swallowed hard. This wasn't how he'd planned for any of this to go, when he'd bothered to make vague plans at all for a future bondmate. But he knew his responsibilities, and they were friends as well as team, and he'd suck it up and deal with the consequences after everyone was alive to deal with them with him. "All right."_


	2. Chapter 2

Beau has a good feeling about this season. Last season, he spent more time on the injured reserve than on the ice. They made a good run for Cup but fell short, and just because it was the second time didn't make it any easier. But he feels good now. Things were really clicking in training camp, and now they're on their way to Sweden for a couple of exhibition games before the real season starts. He can't stop grinning as they board the plane.

Nealer rolls his eyes, but, "Don't front," Beau says. "You wouldn't shut up about this at camp."

Geno laughs.

They dim the lights for take-off, and it settles everyone down. Beau tugs a blanket over himself and leans his head against the window, watching the lights of New York fall away beneath them. The thrum of the engines fills the cabin. He can hear Bort snoring next to him already, Tanger and Flower speaking French in quiet voices a few rows back, punctuated by Sid's dumb laugh. He's still smiling when he falls asleep.

The plane is dark and quiet when he wakes up. He feels flushed and sweaty, disoriented. There's a terrible, familiar tension coiling through his gut, and he thinks, _Oh, fuck, no._

He rests his forehead against the cool glass of the window. For a second, he lets himself think that maybe he's wrong, maybe he's just coming down with the flu, maybe he can just curl up under the blanket and wait it out. Then he takes a deep breath and makes himself get up and find a trainer.

Kadar is awake, reading in an empty row.

"Hey," Beau says, and Kadar looks up at him. "I, um, I think I need a doctor."

Kadar's eyes widen. "Okay," he says. "Sit down, I'll wake up Harner."

Beau sits down and crosses his arms over his stomach. His skin feels hot, too sensitive. He's hard. He takes a deep breath, and he can almost taste the alpha pheromones in the recycled air. He shudders, and makes himself breathe through his mouth.

"Beau?" Harner is down on one knee next to him, his voice gentle and concerned.

Beau licks his lips. "I think I'm going into heat," he whispers.

"Okay," Harner says. He sounds utterly calm. "Can I take your temperature?"

Beau nods.

Harner pulls out a digital thermometer. Beau closes his mouth around it.

"Can I take your pulse?"

Beau nods. Harner wraps his hand around Beau's wrist, fingertips against his pulse. Even that little bit of skin contact feels good, and Beau can't help the breathy noise he makes. Harner glances up at him, but his expression doesn't change, and he just checks his watch again. 

The thermometer beeps and Harner takes it out. "Hmmm. You're definitely running a fever." He looks back at the front of the plane and makes a beckoning motion. One of the trainers comes down the aisle. "Chris is going to take you to the back of the plane. I'll be there in a couple of minutes, okay?"

Beau nods again.

Chris opens the sealed compartment at the back of the plane, and Beau sits down on the edge of the bed. He closes his eyes for a second, dizzy.

"Beau," Chris says, and it sounds like it's not the first time.

Beau blinks at him. Chris is holding out a bottle of Gatorade.

Beau feels his mouth quirk. "You know Gatorade doesn't actually make everything better, right?"

Chris shrugs. "Whatever's wrong, being hydrated can't hurt."

Beau cracks open the bottle and takes a sip. He tugs restlessly at his shirt. He's so hot, and he doesn't want the fabric touching him, he wants--

"Beau."

This time it's Harner. 

"We're too far out to turn back," Harner says, still calm. "But there are two alphas onboard, so you're going to be fine."

He means Sid and Geno. Beau closes his eyes, a humiliating wave of _want want want_ sliding over his skin.

"Neither of them are on your blacklist. Is there one you want me to ask first?"

Beau flinches. "No," he says. "Whichever one..."

"Okay," Harner says. "Everything's going to be fine."

He leaves, and Chris says gently, "Finish your Gatorade."

Beau tries to focus on that, but he can't think about anything other than the heat pooling in his belly, how hard he is, how slick and open he feels.

"Can I take your temperature?" Chris asks. He holds up the thermometer, and it takes Beau a minute to understand the question.

He nods, opens his mouth.

When the thermometer beeps, Chris takes it out. He frowns at the reading.

Beau closes his eyes. Sitting up seems like such an effort. 

Chris is saying something, but it splinters and buzzes away before Beau can understand what he wants. He keeps his eyes closed, bites down on his lip so he doesn't whimper.

Then the mattress dips, and someone is touching him, a big, familiar hand. Beau recognizes the scent that fills the room, and he almost sobs in relief.

"Geno--"

"Shhh," Geno says. He slides his fingers through Beau's hair, brushing the damp, sweaty strands off his forehead. Beau lets out a breathy little noise and pushes up into the touch. Geno leans in and kisses him. Beau kisses back, open-mouthed and desperate.

Geno stretches out on top of him, a heavy, protective weight, and it feels so good, but it's not enough, not nearly enough.

Beau pulls his mouth away to gasp for breath and yanks impatiently at Geno's shirt. He needs Geno's skin against his, he needs Geno inside him.

"Okay, okay," Geno says, kissing the corner of his mouth, the curve of his throat. He sits up and starts taking his clothes off. Beau feels cold without Geno draped over him, which doesn't make any sense because he is burning _up._

Geno reaches out and tugs Beau's shirt over his head, pulls his track pants and boxers off. Beau moans. His hips push up restlessly.

"Okay," Geno says again, and his voice is low and rough now. He runs one hand down Beau's side, leaves it splayed over his hip. He slides two fingers inside Beau, slick and easy, and Beau's breath stutters, catching in his throat.

"Please," he says. "Please, please, Geno, I need--"

"Shhh, yes, I know," Geno says. He pulls his fingers out and Beau can hear the crinkle of a condom wrapper. He bites down on a frustrated, impatient noise. There is a tiny part of him that is rational enough to be grateful for the condom, but the rest of him is crazy at the delay.

Then Geno is pushing into him, thick and hard and oh, oh. Beau wraps his arms around Geno's back, presses his face against Geno's shoulder, breathing in ragged sobs.

Geno is whispering to him in Russian, low and steady. He fucks him deep and slow and hard, and Beau pushes up into it, desperate for more. Geno presses his mouth against the side of Beau's throat, sucks a bruise into his skin.

Geno's moving faster now, his rhythm jerky. He snaps his hips down once more, and then he's coming. Beau can feel Geno's dick swell inside him, filling him up. Geno wraps his hand, huge and rough, around Beau's cock.

"Come on, Sunshine," Geno whispers, and Beau spills all over his hand.

He sobs for breath. His skin feels raw, scorched, and it's too much, too much, and it's still not enough.

"Shhh, shhh, breathe, Sunshine," Geno says. He puts his palm on Beau's forehead.

Beau whimpers and rolls his hips, trying to pull Geno in deeper.

Geno slides his arm under Beau's shoulder and rolls them both. Beau gasps, dizzy with it, sprawled across Geno's chest, Geno still inside him. Geno runs his hand down Beau's back, slow, soothing strokes.

"Beau, Beau," someone says, and it's not Geno.

Beau turns his head. Sid is kneeling on the edge of the mattress.

"Sid," he breathes.

Sid manages a smile. "Hey." He puts his hand on Beau's back. "Shit, he's burning up."

"Yeah," Geno says.

Sid meets Geno's eyes for a second, then he looks back at Beau. "It's gonna be okay," he says.

Beau closes his eyes.

Sid slides his hand down the length of Beau's spine, rubs his fingertips along the rim of Beau's asshole. Beau shivers all over and his hips flex, pushing against Sid's fingers.

"I don't--" Sid starts.

"Please," Beau says, and he doesn't even know what he's asking for, he just, he needs--

"Fuck," Sid says, and slides one finger inside him, alongside Geno's cock.

Geno gasps, a soft, bitten-off breath, and Sid goes still. Beau makes a pleading noise, and Sid starts moving again. 

"You're so wet," Sid says. He adds a second finger and Beau moans.

"More," Beau says.

Sid swears under his breath. He leans forward and presses a kiss to the top of Beau's spine, then pulls his fingers out.

"No," Beau says.

Geno pets his side. "Shh, shhh, soon."

Then Sid is kneeling behind him, the head of his cock, slick and latex-covered, pressing against him. Beau freezes, a second of panic cutting through the fever-bright heat under his skin. He can't, he can't--

Geno grips the back of his neck, kisses him soft and coaxing. "Is okay. Is Sid, is captain, let him." 

Beau exhales and the panic calms. Sid rolls his hips, a tiny motion, and pushes into him.

Beau and Geno pull in the same shocked breath. Beau presses his forehead against Geno's. He feels impossibly full, stretched, and it's what he's been craving this whole time.

"Sid," Geno says, his voice tight. "Move."

"God, fuck," Sid says, breathy and helpless, and obeys, careful little thrusts that light him up from the inside. 

He's so close. Everything is just overwhelming sensation. Geno's saying something, but it's just white noise.

And then Sid sinks his teeth into Beau's shoulder, a hot flare of pain, and orgasm crashes over him like a tidal wave, dragging him down into the deep, cool darkness.

***

Beau wakes up in a different bed. The sheets are smooth and soft and smell like hotel detergent, and the room is full of sunshine. Geno's lying next to him, his arm thrown casually over Beau's waist. Sid is sitting up, leaning against the headboard, petting his fingers absently though Beau's hair.

His heat has broken. He feels groggy. His muscles ache and his ass is sore. 

Sid puts his phone down. "Jennifer says there's a media call at three."

Geno grunts.

"We missed a day of practice already," Sid says, and Beau's stomach rolls guiltily.

"You go, I stay," Geno says.

Sid's hand stills in Beau's hair. "Yeah, okay," he says.

Once Sid leaves, Geno nudges Beau's shoulder and says, "Know you awake. Shower?"

Beau scrunches his face up, but sighs. "Yeah."

He's naked under the sheets. And it's dumb, because Geno has done so much more than see him naked, but it still takes him a minute to make himself climb out of bed and walk to the bathroom.

He freezes when he flips on the light and sees his reflection. He's covered in fingertip bruises and hickeys, and there's a perfect bite mark where his shoulder meets his neck. He's only gone through heats with surrogate alphas before, so he doesn't bond, and they're careful about not leaving marks. He touches the bite mark careful, a little spark of heat and pain when he presses down, and he shivers. He pulls his eyes away from the mirror and turns on the shower.

The hot water feels amazing, rinsing away the dried sweat and come, loosening up his aching muscles. 

When he comes out, wrapped in a hotel robe, he finds that Geno's ordered room service. He's suddenly starving. He practically inhales the cheeseburger and fries.

"Slow, Sunshine," Geno says, not quite laughing. "Gonna choke."

Beau flips him off and keeps eating.

Finally he pushes the empty plate away. He takes a deep breath and looks up at Geno. 

Geno's still smiling a little, his face soft and fond. "Nap," he says. "We talk when Sid gets back."

They'll have to talk at some point, but Beau is fine with putting it off for now. 

There's a weird hollow feeling in his chest and the beginning of a headache in the back of his skull. He's going to pretend it's just because he's tired, and not because Sid is gone.

Geno sprawls out next to him in bed, his forehead against Beau's shoulder, his arm over Beau's waist. "Okay?" he asks.

Geno's touch helps. "Yeah," Beau mumbles around a yawn.

The headache wakes him up, a dull throbbing pain behind his eyes.

"Shhh," Geno says, digging his thumb into the knot of tension at the base of Beau's skull. "Sid back soon."

Beau nods and keeps his eyes closed.

He opens them again when he hears the door. Sid comes straight to the bed, dropping his suit jacket and pulling his tie loose on the way. His mouth is set, pressed flat like he's taken a hard hit on the ice. He sits down on the bed and puts his hand on Beau's shoulder. As soon as he does, the pain melts away.

Beau exhales shakily and he can feel Geno do the same. Sid's expression eases, too. 

Beau feels tears sting in his eyes. It was pretty much guaranteed to happen, but he'd been hoping--

"Huh," Sid says. "I think we bonded."

***

"Well, we can do the blood tests, but the symptoms you're describing certainly sound like a bond," Dr. Harner says. "And frankly, it would be extremely unlikely, statistically speaking, for you not to bond with one of them."

Beau nods.

Geno raises his hand hesitantly. "My head hurt, too. When Sid gone."

Harner's eyebrows go up. "We'll definitely do the tests then. It could be you're feeling Beau's distress, but three way bonds are not entirely unheard of."

Sid and Geno exchange a look that Beau can't read.

"I can talk to the Swedish team's doctor, get a recommendation for a testing company here, but--"

"We can wait until we're back in the States," Sid says. "Knowing for sure isn't going to change anything, right?"

"I suppose not. In the meantime, there's no harm in treating you guys like you're bonded, just to be on the safe side," Harner says. 

Sid lets Harner out and comes back to sit on the foot of the bed.

Beau scrubs a hand over his face. "Sorry," he says. 

"It's not your fault," Sid says, firm and unhesitating. 

Beau shakes his head. He didn't want it, didn't do it intentionally, but it happened because of his fucked up biology. And his fucked up head. He hasn't had a heat since college. Of all the times for his subconscious to decide he felt safe and secure--

"We can break the bond," Beau says.

They're all silent for a moment. Despite what Shakespeare and Nicholas Sparks movies would have you believe, almost no one dies from breaking a bond. And alphas at least can almost always bond again. But it's rough. 

"You guys didn't choose this--"

Geno huffs and Sid says, "We would do it again, no matter how it turned out."

"Not letting me die isn't much of a choice. I know you guys don't want to be bonded like this."

"What do you want?" Sid asks.

Beau flushes, because it's not like he hasn't thought about it. But it was just idle fantasizing, because he was twenty and playing with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, and it almost didn't even matter that they were both alphas, too. But when it comes to bonding, he’s always figured he'd do what everyone else does: meet someone, fall in love, and when they're both ready, go through a heat together. 

"I don't want to be bonded to someone who was forced into it."

Sid frowns. "After the season," he says finally. "It'll fuck up our game if we do it now."

Geno laughs. 

"What? It will," Sid says.

Geno shakes his head. He gives Beau a long, considering look. "Okay. After season, we talk."

Beau lets out a deep breath. His stomach twists with relief and something that feels almost like disappointment, but that's probably just the bonding hormones.

***

When they're getting dressed in the morning, Beau asks, "Are we going to tell everyone about this?"

"We pretty much have to," Sid says.

Beau nods, dropping his eyes to concentrate on buttoning his shirt.

"What?" Geno says.

Beau makes a face. He doesn’t care that much if people know his dynamic, it's not a big deal. "It's just -" He stops, but Sid and Geno wait. "People are going to think I'm a slutty omega who trapped you guys into a bond."

Geno snorts. Sid frowns. "No one-- no one who counts is going to think that."

"Really? Your mom didn't warn you about omegas like me?"

Sid looks guilty at that, which is enough to make Beau's mouth twitch, almost a smile.

"This isn't what she warned me about, so she's going to be fine with it."

Beau glances at Geno. Geno gives him a mock-serious expression. "You not Russian, but you not married, so..." He waggles his hand, like his parents' approval could go either way.

"Sorry," Beau says. "It's dumb."

"We can wait until we get home," Sid says. "Until the blood tests are done."

It's just putting off the inevitable, but it makes Beau feel better.

***

He changes fast in the locker room, hoping no one is looking too closely at his bruises.

Jayson clomps over in his pads and drops down onto the bench next to him. "Hey, man, are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Beau says. "I'm fine, it was just..."

"The flu?" Jayson says. "That's what they told us."

"Yeah, the flu, I guess." 

Jayson gives him a dubious look, but he lets it go.

At morning skate, Beau doesn't feel any worse than after a hard game. 

"I can play," he says, but Bylsma waves it off.

"It's just an exhibition game," he says. "Save it for the season."

"Yes, Coach," Beau says, but it feels like last season all over again, stuck on the sidelines because his body can't hack it.

He sits with the medical staff for the game, because the press box is too far away from Sid and Geno. It's -- strange. He can feel the tug of the bond, wanting to be closer to them, mixed up in his own desire to be on the ice. He thinks they feel it, too, because they look for him every time they finish a shift, a heartbeat of eye contact before they settle on the bench. It helps.

But stranger than that is the fact that he can feel how hard they're playing on the ice, the echo of their pounding hearts and rasping breath at the end of a shift, the burn of lactic acid in their thighs at the end of the period.

It may be just an exhibition game, but it's also kind of a repeat of the gold medal game and no one's slacking off. Sid takes a hard hit and Beau feels like the breath's been knocked out of him. He sees Geno flinch, too, on the bench, and it's probably a good thing Geno's not playing on Sid's line.

He and Geno are going to need to work on that, he thinks, and his stomach sinks uncomfortably at the thought of how much they're going to have to work out, how much is going to change this season.

They win the game, at least. Afterwards, in the locker room, Geno throws his arm around Beau's shoulders, grinning. "Like the goal, Sunshine?"

"It was okay, I guess," Beau says. He lets himself lean into Geno for a second, sighing as some of the tension in his muscles eases. Then he shoves Geno off, laughing, "Ugh, you're getting my suit all sweaty, asshole."

Geno scrubs his hand through Beau's hair, but lets him go.

***

They fly out that night to--

"Where are we again?" Beau asks around a yawn.

"Gothenberg," Sid says automatically.

Sid probably remembers the name of the team they're going to play, too.

At the hotel, Beau follows Sid and Geno off the elevator. He doesn't even think about it until he catches Jayson's confused expression on the other side of the closing doors.

Sid and Geno showered at the rink, but Beau needs to wash feeling of the airplane off. When he comes out, the room is dark, only the light outside the bathroom on. Sid and Geno are sprawled out in one of the queen beds, their breathing already slow and deep.

Beau hesitates with his hand on the light switch. He hates this -- hates that he wants to climb into bed with them, hates that he doesn't know if he can, if he's allowed. He turns off the light and gets into the other bed. 

In the morning, Sid nudges Beau away from the sink with a hand on his hip. He leaves his hand there while they brush their teeth, his palm warm against Beau's skin, and it makes Beau's vague, low-level headache disappear.

***

Beau gets the assist on Geno's goal. Geno whoops, and Beau throws himself into Geno's arms, laughing. Nealer slams into Geno's other side, and this, this feels exactly the same.

***

Beau can feel the jetlag creeping up on him before they're even off the plane in Pittsburgh.

He grabs his bags and stands with Geno, waiting on Sid. Bort claps his shoulder and says, "Ready to go?"

"Oh, um," Beau says. Geno gives Bort a narrow-eyed look. "I'm going with Geno."

Bort raises both eyebrows. Beau can't come up with a good excuse, so he doesn't say anything. 

"Okay," Bort says slowly. "See you at practice?"

"Yeah," Beau says. Now he wishes they'd said something earlier. Fuck, this is going to be awkward. He closes his eyes for a second.

"Sorry," Sid says. He's finally got his bags. He squeezes Beau's arm and bumps his shoulder against Geno's. "Let's go."

Beau follows Sid and Geno to Geno's car and listens to them bicker about whose house they're going to stay at.

"Aren't they basically identical?" he mumbles from the backseat, and there's a pause.

When he opens his eyes they're playing rock-paper-scissors at the stoplight. 

Sid wins and Geno gasps, outraged, and accuses him of cheating. Sid crosses his arms, shoving his hands in his armpits, and won't agree to a re-match. 

Geno gets the final word, though, because he's the one driving. 

"Now who's cheating?" Sid says when they pull up in front of Geno's house, and Geno smirks.

Beau doesn't really care as long as there's a bed. 

"Bathroom?" Sid asks on the way upstairs. 

"There and there," Geno says, pointing.

Sid heads for the master bath and Beau takes the one further down the hall. The guest bed is already made, and it's just-- it's easier to crawl under the covers alone and not think about it.

He wakes up stupidly early, and he doesn't know if it's the jetlag, or the restless, achy longing under his skin. He lies in Geno's guest bed and stares at the clock. He shouldn't - he's maybe ten feet away from his bondmates, that should be close enough.

Finally, Geno sticks his head in the door. "Stop being dumb," he says. "Come to bed."

Beau gets up and follows him into the master bedroom. Sid grunts and pulls the covers back, and they both climb in. It's a tight fit, but the tangle of legs and arms, the press of skin and body heat makes him feel better immediately.

"See?" Geno says against his shoulder, but Beau is already falling asleep.

***

The blood tests confirm the three way bond.

"Your hormone levels haven't stabilized yet," Harner says. "You'll be able to spend more time apart once that happens. Right now you're picking up mostly physical sensation from your partners, but as the bond settles, you may be able to pick up strong emotion as well. It's different for all pairs - all partners."

Harner sends Sid and Geno out for a few minutes so he can talk to Beau alone.

"The blood tests also show you're not pregnant," he says, and Beau exhales, relieved. "Now that you've bonded, your heat cycle will stabilize and you most likely won't safe-heat anymore."

Being bonded might be worth that. 

"You may experience a pseudo-heat, though, as your hormone levels adjust. It's more like what a beta experiences -- shorter duration, less intense. You can break it by yourself or with one of your alphas, and there's no fever risk."

Beau grimaces. "Okay." 

"Do you have any questions?" Harner asks.

Beau looks down at his hands. "What if we want to break the bond?"

"We can do that," Harner says easily. "The physical effects are similar to being separated from your bondmates, but more intense. Headache, muscle aches, nausea, vertigo, depression. They can be managed, but the symptoms will last anywhere from two weeks to a month or longer, depending on the strength of the bond."

Beau nods along.

"Proximity would be the bigger issue for you guys," Harner says. "Even if you successfully broke the bond, remaining on the same team could cause it to re-form."

"Oh." Beau's stomach rolls over at the thought of leaving Pittsburgh.

"Take your time, think about it," Harner says gently. "You know where to find me if you have any questions."

Sid and Geno are waiting when he leaves the exam room. They look up with identical worried expressions.

"It's nothing, he just wanted to tell me I wasn't pregnant."

Sid relaxes immediately. Geno looks -- disappointed? But it's gone when Beau looks directly at him. Still, Beau feels a little twinge of something that's not quite guilt.

On the car ride back, Sid says, "We need to talk about how this is going to work."

Geno makes a face at him in the rearview mirror, gives Beau a quick sidelong glance. "Sid always want to talk."

Sid shrugs.

Geno doesn't argue. He grabs a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge when they get back. Beau takes one, too, just to have something to do with his hands. They sit down around the kitchen table.

Sid has actual notes. "What? I want to make sure we didn't forget anything."

Geno gives a huge sigh and shakes his head slowly. Beau takes a sip of Gatorade to hide his smile.

"Anyway," Sid says pointedly. "I thought we could start with living arrangements? If this is going to be temporary, I don't want to move out of my place completely. So maybe some kind of rotation? Your house for a week, my house for a week -- Beau, if you want us to, we can spend a week at your place, too."

Beau tries to picture all of them sharing his bedroom, sitting down for breakfast or Call of Duty with Bort, and he shakes his head. "No, that's okay. I was thinking Jayson could take my room while he's up here."

Sid nods and writes something down. "We can set up a Google calendar so we know where we're going to be."

Geno catches Beau's eye and grins, and Beau grins back.

"I'm going to tell my family we bonded," Sid says, and Beau stops smiling. "But not that we're thinking about breaking it over the summer. They'll probably want to come visit, but we can put it off a bit, what with the season starting."

"You mom really say, don't fuck omegas?" Geno asks.

"Ugh, not like that," Sid says. He glances at Beau. "It was more like she looked up all the surrogate alphas in a twenty mile radius of where I was living or playing and made sure I had their numbers. So I knew who to call just in case I ran into an omega in heat."

Beau nods, picking at the Gatorade label. 

"They just didn't want me to bond too young, to a stranger," Sid says firmly. "They won't have a problem with you. With either of you."

"Okay," Beau says, more because he doesn't want to argue.

"You parents," Geno says. "They think we make you?"

"Or that we, we took advantage of you?"

Beau flushes. Fuck, probably. "No," he says. "That's not what happened, so that's not what they're going to think."

"Okay," Sid says, and they move on to the next item on his list. 

They talk about telling the team (yes, before practice tomorrow) and telling the media (no, fuck them), and telling Mario and Nathalie (Beau laughs at how shifty and guilty Geno looks at that thought). They talk about how Beau's going to pay his share of groceries and utilities, because he's not going let them pay for everything. Sid wants to set up a chore schedule, too, but Geno thinks that's a little excessive. They agree to wait and see how things go. 

Finally, Sid looks down at his notes and hesitates. He taps the pen on the paper. "Um. I thought we should talk about sleeping together? Just sleeping--" he adds in a rush. "Not sex, but. Physical contact will help the bond stabilize. So."

Geno shoots Sid a dark look and says to Beau, "If you not want--"

"No, I mean--" They're both watching him with uncertain expressions, and it makes that tight, anxious knot in the center of his chest ease up a little, to know he's not the only one who doesn't know what the fuck to do. "I do, I think it's a good idea."

They smile at him, and he smiles back, because this whole situation is ridiculous, and what else are they going to do?

***

Telling his parents is as awkward as he expected. He's not sure how many times he tells them _I'm fine, it was unplanned, but it's Sid and Geno, they're great guys, they're teammates, we're going to make this work._ He's kind of surprised by his own insistence.

He doesn't tell them that they're going to break the bond eventually. They worried about his wrist enough last season, they don't need to worry about this.

Finally, his mom says, "Are you going to have a ceremony?"

"Um, I don't, maybe after the season?" he says.

She laughs at that, small and watery. "Well, I suppose you boys do have that in common at least."

***

Beau hasn't slept – just slept – with a lot of people. He had a casual fuck-buddy thing going with another omega who played basketball at Denver, but the dorms weren't exactly comfortable for sleepovers, and he hasn't really wanted to stay over with his occasional hookups since then.

So he's not sure how this whole sleeping together thing is going to work out when he isn't exhausted and/or jet-lagged.

That night, he comes out of the bathroom and finds they've left one side of the bed empty. He climbs under the covers and Geno switches off the light, and there's a little rustling and shifting around as they try to get comfortable. It's a big bed, but they're not small guys, and Beau is conscious of the heat of Sid's body next to him. He wonders if this feels as awkward and weird for them.

Sid rolls his head on the pillow, and Beau turns his at the movement, meets Sid's eyes in the dark. Sid's mouth twitches, and he bites his lip like he's trying not to smile. Beau grins back, because he is in bed with his captain, _Sidney Crosby_ , what is his life?

Sid snorts out a laugh.

"Shhhh," Geno hisses, and then Beau is laughing, too.

Geno pokes Sid in the ribs, and Sid yelps and rolls away onto his side, pressing his face against Beau's shoulder, still laughing.

Geno smacks them both with the pillow, and then there is a brief struggle for blankets, and by the end, all of the nervous tension in Beau's chest has dissolved, and it's easy to close his eyes and not think about anything.

When he wakes up, Geno is half-draped over Sid, his arm flung across Sid's waist to rest his hand on Beau's stomach. The back of Sid's hand is curled against his own, and it all feels normal in a way that is not really comforting at all.

***

Telling the team is a little easier, because Sid does all the talking.

"So in Sweden, when you said you were fine--" Jayson starts.

"I was fine."

Jayson snorts.

Beau gives him a sidelong glance. "But it wasn't the flu," he admits.

Jayson punches his shoulder. "Congratulations, man!"

Beau lets out a quick, disbelieving laugh, and Jayson winces. "What? I mean -- you could do way worse, is all I'm saying."

"Shut up and go talk to Borts about taking my room for the season."

Jayson stands up. "They could do way worse, too, jackass."

"Yeah, yeah," Beau says, ducking his head. "Thanks."

They finish practice with some three-on-three scrimmages. Beau's more focused on where Geno is than where Olli is. He nails the pass, but turns into Duper's check, and it's harder than either of them expected. Beau ends up on his ass, the breath knocked out of him. It's more shock than pain, and he's already grinning at Duper's startled expression. 

Geno, though -- Geno ditches the puck and whips back around in a shower of ice.

"Geno!" It's Sid and Bylsma together, and it makes him pull up short, his scowl fading into something sheepish.

Bylsma pulls Geno out of the drill and puts Sid in, and the scrimmage goes on.

When practice is over, Sid and Geno don't come off the ice right away. Beau goes back out and finds them standing by the boards, heads bent together. Geno's nodding, not looking up, while Sid talks. 

"--just the hormones," Sid is saying when Beau skates up to them.

"What's the hormones?"

They look over at him. Geno scowls. "Feel--" He stops, glancing at Sid.

"Protective," Sid says.

"Yes."

"Of me," Beau says. 

Geno shrugs. "Sid, too."

Sid gives Geno a quick, surprised look. "But he's not going to let it affect his game."

Geno smiles, small and crooked. "No, Sid. I be good."

Sid nods, firmly. "Good."

Beau can maybe see what his mom was getting at. If he's going to be bonded, at least it's to people who'll always put hockey first.

***

Bylsma makes them do checking drills at every practice after that, until none of them flinch or hesitate at the echo of someone else's impact with the ice or the boards.

Still, when he's falling asleep, he has a hard time remembering that it's Geno's knee that hurts, not his, that Sid is the one who can't turn over onto his left shoulder.

***

Even with other people's phantom aches and pains in his head, Beau finds it amazingly easy to sleep in Sid and Geno's bed. He chooses to believe it's because they have really expensive mattresses.

They always leave him space at the edge of the bed, and he always wakes up in a tangle of limbs and body heat. In the first few sleepy moments of being awake, it makes him feel safe, comforted. He wakes up with a hard-on, too, sometimes, which is less comforting. He tells himself it's normal, it doesn't mean anything.

He's just glad he's not the first one to try jerking off in the shower.

He's only half awake when Geno climbs out of bed. Beau makes disgruntled noise and rolls closer to Sid's warmth.

The shower turns on, and then he feels a long, slow wash of heat slide through his belly. There's something a little remote about it, like an echo of someone else's pleasure, but it's still enough to pull a gasp out of him.

His eyes snap open. Sid's staring back at him, his eyes just as wide and startled. Beau's dick goes from perfunctory hard-on to extremely interested. The heat in his gut coils tighter and his eyelashes flutter shut.

"Um," Sid says, voice tight. "I'm gonna, other shower--"

Sid rolls out of bed and Beau slides his hand down to wrap around his dick. He can feel both of them in his head, a hot shivery feedback loop of arousal that goes straight to his balls. He barely has to touch himself before he's coming, a blinding rush that leaves him panting.

They don't talk about it at breakfast.

Beau tells himself it's just like pretending you don't know what your road roommate is doing when he jerks off in the middle of the night.

***

Beau's never been superstitious about pre-game rituals, but now he can understand the appeal of routines.

The start of the season fills his day up with familiar patterns, practice and conditioning and games, eating and sleeping. It's enough that he can almost ignore the weird parts around the edges that are different because of the bond. That he can pretend Sid and Geno are just his roommates this season, instead of Bort.

Geno's eggs are better than Bort's, at least.

"Not that that's hard," Beau says, around a mouthful of omelet, and Geno hip-checks him at the kitchen counter.

It's only temporary. He's spent a lot of time in his life playing hockey and waiting. In Denver, waiting until he was ready to turn pro; in Scranton, waiting to get called up; in Pittsburgh, waiting to get sent down, waiting for his wrist to heal. He can wait this out, too.

***

They blow a three point lead against the Blues and have to take the shootout win. Sid's pissy about it for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Geno cracks his neck and says, "Sid, get rub-down after practice."

"I'm fine," Sid says, short and clipped. 

Geno glances over at Beau and rolls his eyes. 

Sid doesn't get the rub-down.

After dinner, Geno leans over the back of the sofa and squeezes Sid's shoulders. "If you not use professional, I do it."

"Fuck off," Sid says, squirming out of Geno's grip.

Geno flops over the back of the sofa and wrestles Sid onto his stomach. Beau watches the whole thing from the armchair and does not get involved.

Geno digs his thumb into one of the knots in Sid's shoulder, and Beau can feel the echo of it, the hot flare of pain that subsides into a loose, warm ache.

"Ow!" Sid says and tries to elbow Geno.

"Be still," Geno says. "You make us all suffer."

Sid stops moving at that. He turns his head to catch Beau's eyes. Beau shrugs, nods.

Sid exhales, long and slow, and slumps down into the couch cushions.

"Good," Geno says.

He works the knots out of Sid's neck and shoulder, and Beau can feel the pain and tension dissolve through the bond. Sid relaxes under Geno's hands, resting his head on his crossed arms, his eyes almost closed. It lulls Beau, too. It doesn't feel like getting a massage from a trainer, just the three of them in the quiet of Geno's living room.

Geno's thumb sweeps over the side of Sid's throat, a soft, accidental touch. Sid shivers all over, and Geno slides his hands under the hem of his shirt, skin to skin. The lazy warmth in Beau's muscles takes on a new edge. Sid's not hard, but it feels like he could be, like Beau could be, if Geno keeps touching him.

"Good?" Geno asks, low and raspy.

Sid hums. Neither of them are looking at Beau, and it's suddenly too much, too close. He stands up and Geno lifts his head. He doesn't say anything as Beau walks out.

Beau goes and brushes his teeth, because he doesn't know what else to do. The warmth in his belly lingers a little while and then fades. Beau almost misses it.

***

The bond stabilizes enough that he can stand to be away from them for a couple of hours, can go have dinner and play Call of Duty with Bort and Jayson and the rest of the guys and not feel like he's going to throw up.

Still, he's glad to go home and see Sid on the couch, watching the History Channel and flicking through his phone.

He sits down on the other end of the sofa, a little further away than he really wants. Sid reaches out without looking up from his phone and tugs on the edge of Beau's t-shirt, until Beau lets himself tip over sideways and put his head in Sid's lap.

Sid threads his fingers through Beau's hair, rubbing tiny circles against his scalp. Beau sighs and rubs his cheek against Sid's thigh. He can feel embarrassed about it tomorrow, but right now it just feels good.

***

"Are you sure you're okay with not us not spending time at your place?" Sid asks.

Beau's helping Sid put clean sheets on the bed. He can tell Sid is always -- not happier, exactly, but calmer, more relaxed in his own house, with his sheets on the bed and his shows on the DVR and his grocery order in the fridge. 

Beau shrugs, shoving the edge of the sheet under the mattress. "With how much I was up and down last season, it never really felt like home, y'know? It was just a place to stay." He straightens up and grins at Sid. "Besides, you guys' houses are way nicer than that apartment."

It's true enough. 'Home' in his mind is still his parents' house. 

But he thinks about it that night in bed, listening to Sid and Geno steady breaths. Bouncing between their houses should bother him more than it does. It should feel like a constant road trip, never settled, but it doesn't. Home is where the heart is, he thinks vaguely, but he pushes that thought away as soon as it's formed. It's just a side effect of the bond.

***

Nealer and Geno are arguing about something at practice. Beau can't tell what from a distance, but it involves a lot of hand gestures and laughing and outraged expressions.

He skates over, and Nealer says, "Right, Bennett?"

Geno pushes off of the boards and throws his arms around Beau, spinning him away from Nealer. "No," he says over his shoulder. "My Sunshine."

Beau laughs, and doesn't push him off.

Geno keeps his arms around Beau while Bylsma outlines the next drill. 

Nealer grabs the back of his jersey as they're coming off the ice. "Hey."

Beau lets Nealer tug him around. 

Nealer studies his face. "This is working for you, right?"

"What?"

"The bond," Nealer says. "You weren't-- at the beginning, you seemed kind of unhappy. But you look better now." He smiles, kicks his skate against Beau's. "More like our Sunshine."

Beau laughs, a little embarrassed that he was that obvious. "Yeah, I'm good. It was just hard to get used to." He's said it a lot lately, and the words come out easily.

Nealer doesn't look convinced. "But you're happy now."

"Yeah," Beau says, and that doesn't come quite as easily. Not because it's not true, but more because he hasn't really thought about it like that.

"If you're not, it's okay," Nealer says. "You don't have to--"

"I know," Beau says quickly. "It's, I really am okay."

"Just remember, I can make them suffer in ways that won't transfer through the bond," Nealer says. He's smiling, but it doesn't make it all the way to his eyes.

"I know," Beau says again, because he gets what he's trying to say. He pushes off the boards and lets his shoulder bump against Nealer's. "I know."

***

Betas who spend a lot of time around each other, especially in high stress, high emotion situations, tend to have their heat cycles sync up. So around the middle of January, the whole team gets a maintenance day.

It doesn't affect Sid and Geno, because alpha heat cycles are so long, years apart instead of months. It's never affected Beau before either, so maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe it really is the team's hormones, but Beau wakes up that morning with a low, familiar curl of warmth in his belly.

It's still early. He untangles himself from Sid and Geno without waking them up. Part of him wants burrow back into the heat and weight of their bodies, but he makes himself go downstairs instead. He just, he needs a minute to think.

It's the pseudo-heat. It doesn't feel exactly the same. It's lazier, less frantically urgent. His skin feels warm, flushed, but without the burning fever.

He takes a bottle of coconut water out of the fridge, almost on autopilot. He stands at the kitchen counter while he drinks it, tile cool under his bare feet.

Sid comes in, yawning. "Up early," he says.

Beau nods. He can feel his pulse jump just at the sight of Sid in his t-shirt and boxers. Sid wanders past him to the fridge and then stops.

He turns back around and his eyes are wide. "Oh," Sid says.

He takes a step towards Beau, and Beau can hear his sharp inhale in the quiet kitchen, can taste the sudden rush of Sid's arousal, feel it under his skin. He can suddenly understand how this would feel good, all heat and no desperation. 

"Fuck," Sid says. He takes several steps back. "Are you-- are you okay? Do you want me to call a doctor? Or, um, someone?"

"I don't want a stranger," Beau says. 

Sid's eyes get darker, and his hands flex at his sides, but he holds himself still.

"It's not a safe-heat," Beau says. "I'm not gonna-- Harner said I can break it by myself, so you don't have to, to do anything if you don't want."

Sid nods. "We can go if you want to be by yourself."

Beau shakes his head. He wants to say it's just the heat, but he's never felt this longing before, so sharp and specific, to have Sid's mouth on his, to have Geno's hands on his skin.

"Oh," Sid says, very soft. "Geno--"

"Yes," Beau says, and the last of the hesitation on Sid's face disappears.

Beau takes a step forward, and Sid meets him, kisses him like he knows that's what Beau's been thinking of. He slides his hands under Beau's t-shirt to grip his waist, fingertips digging in to Beau's skin. Sid pulls his mouth away and takes a shaky breath. Beau makes a disappointed noise. 

"Upstairs," Sid says breathlessly. "Geno—"

Beau nods, closing his eyes for a second. Sid takes a step back but lets his fingers tangle in Beau's shirt, tugging him along. Beau follows. 

Beau stumbles into him on the stairs, and Sid catches him. Beau kisses the breathless laugh off his lips, and lets Sid steer him the rest of the way to the master bedroom.

Geno is sitting up in bed. His hair is sticking up in all directions, his face flushed. He's frowning, but it disappears when he sees Beau and Sid, his eyes going wide and dark.

"You don't have to," Beau manages.

Geno holds his hands out and Beau scrambles into the bed to straddle Geno's lap. Geno's hard already. Beau kisses him. He feels the mattress dip as Sid settles on the bed behind him. Sid tugs on the hem of Beau's t-shirt and Beau breaks the kiss so Sid can pull it over his head. Beau leans back into him. Sid's lost his own shirt, and the skin to skin contact makes Beau gasp, another wave of heat spilling over him.

He turns his head blindly and Sid kisses him over his shoulder. Geno's hands on are on his hips, steadying him. Beau pulls his mouth away and finds Geno watching them. Sid kisses his shoulder, the side of his neck, sliding his hands over Beau's stomach. 

Beau's eyes flutter shut at the dizzying touch, but they snap open when Geno palms his dick through his boxers. A low, needy sound catches in the back of his throat, and he rolls his hips up, into the pressure of Geno's hand.

Geno groans. He kisses Beau's mouth, soft, fleeting kisses that make Beau whine and try to deepen them. Geno hooks his thumbs into the elastic of Beau's boxers and Beau kneels up enough for him to push them down his thighs. His dick springs free, flushed and hard. Geno wraps his hand around it, gives him a couple of slow strokes.

Sid slides his fingers down the cleft of Beau's ass, where Beau is already wet and open. He kisses the back of Beau's neck and says, "Is this okay?"

Beau half-laughs and pushes back against Sid's fingers. Sid presses one inside him, slow and careful. "Yeah," Beau says, a long sigh.

Sid pulls out and pushes back in again, curling his finger just so on every stroke, sending starbursts of heat through him. Geno is watching his face, serious and intent, rubbing his thumb over the head of Beau's cock. Sid adds another finger, and Beau moans. Sid and Geno inhale sharply. 

"God," Sid says, "you're so—" He breaks off, twists his hand, and Beau jerks helplessly, his hips thrusting up into Geno's grip. He comes, a bright rush of pleasure that leaves him gasping but doesn't touch the restless need coiled up at the base of his spine.

"Who you want?" Geno says.

It shouldn't be that hard of a question. "I, I—"

"First," Geno clarifies. "Who you want first?"

Beau shudders all over and blurts out, "Sid."

Geno smiles, slow and filthy. "That good, Sid?" he asks.

"Fuck," Sid mutters. "Yes."

"Wait," Beau says. "You need—"

"I know," Sid says. He presses a quick kiss to Beau's shoulder and rolls away. "I got it."

Geno rolls Beau off his lap and helps him take his boxers the rest of the way off, tossing them over the side of the bed. He kisses Beau slow and deep while Sid digs through his nightstand. 

Finally, Sid comes up with a couple of condoms. "Here," he says. "Like this." He nudges Beau onto his side, pressing up behind him, warm and solid. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Beau says. He twists back enough to let Sid kiss him. Geno curls his palm around Beau's thigh and pushes, bending his knee, opening him up more for Sid. Beau turns back to him, and Geno stretches out on his side facing them, close enough to curl his palm against Beau's jaw and kiss him. Sid fumbles for a second, lining his cock up, and then he's sliding into Beau.

"Oh, fuck," Beau says. There's a dizzying moment of something like double vision, where he feels Sid filling him up and feels what it's like for Sid to be inside him. Then Geno wraps his hand around Beau's cock, and all that matters is his own body. Sid rolls his hips, still slow, still careful, until Beau gasps out, "C'mon, please, just--"

Sid buries his face against Beau's shoulder and fucks him hard and fast and exactly right. 

Geno is still jerking him off. Beau reaches out almost blindly, needing the feel of Geno's skin under his hand. Geno makes a low, ragged noise and hooks his leg over the tangle of Sid and Beau's legs, pressing his hips up against Beau. He wraps his hand around both of their cocks, stroking them rough and clumsy, not quite slick enough, but it doesn't matter. Beau can feel that hot, desperate tension building up in his thighs and belly, burning under his skin. Sid comes with an inarticulate shout, and the bright, shivery echo of his orgasm pushes Beau and Geno over the edge.

Beau comes down from it slowly. Heat still pulses lazily under his skin, but the urgency is gone. Sid is still inside him, solid and satisfying. His arm is wrapped tightly around Beau's waist. Geno kisses him, slow and easy. Sid presses his nose into the corner of Beau's jaw, too dazed for anything but sleepy nuzzling.

When Sid finally slides out of Beau, Geno is hard again, and it's easy, sliding his leg over Geno's hip, letting Geno pull him onto his cock. Geno fucks him slow and unhurried, and Beau holds onto Sid's hand the whole time. It's just a long slow wash of heat and sensation. Orgasm spills through him, warm and golden, Geno kissing his mouth and Sid murmuring something low and gentle against the back of his neck.

***

Afterwards, Beau feels completely boneless, all of his muscles reduced to a pool of satisfied warmth. He can feel the echo of Sid and Geno's physical contentment, too.

Geno's curled around him, his arm wrapped around Beau's waist, his mouth pressed against Beau's shoulder. Sid's lying on his side facing them, one hand on Beau's hip, his thumb sweeping slow arcs against his skin.

"Are you okay?" Sid asks.

"Yeah," Beau says, and it comes out a little hoarse. 

"Geno?"

Geno nods. Then he says quietly, "I never before, with omega."

Beau tips his head to see Geno's face. 

"You never had sex with an omega?" Beau says.

"Not in heat. You first." Geno looks almost shy, something soft and dazed in his expression.

"Me neither," Sid says.

It's probably the afterglow that gives him the guts to ask, "Who did you go through your heat with?"

Geno kisses Beau's shoulder before he says, "Oksana."

Sid's eyebrows go up. "I thought she was a beta."

"She is." Geno's arm tightens. "I know, risky, but I not care then if we maybe bond."

"How old were you?" Beau asks.

"Nineteen." Geno snorts. "Dumb. Lucky, but dumb."

Sid's mouth twists, but he doesn't say anything.

Geno shifts his arm to brush against Sid's. "What about you?"

Beau's expecting that Sid did the responsible thing and went to a surrogate, but Sid bites his lip and says, "Jack."

"Johnson?" Geno says, edged with laughter.

"Yeah," Sid says. "He's an alpha, so the risk of bonding was minimal." He meets Beau's eyes. "I didn't want it to be with a stranger."

"When?" Geno asks.

"Right after the draft." Sid hesitates. "And--"

Geno lifts his head at that.

"--about a year or so ago, at the beginning of last season. We were both home, so he drove over from Columbus."

"Oh," Geno says, and the laughter is gone from his voice. "You not say."

Sid shrugs, dropping his eyes. There's something tense and uneasy between them all of the sudden, something that Beau's not a part of.

"That's good, it's better if it's not a stranger," Beau says.

Sid looks at him again, and some of the tension goes out of Geno's body.

"Yeah?" Sid says.

"Yeah." The sex is about the same, but this part, the talking, the touching, is better. He didn't do that with the surrogates.

"Good," Geno says.

Later, when Beau is right on the edge of sleep, Sid says quietly, "I thought about asking you. But I chickened out at the last minute and asked Jack instead. I was afraid it would, I don't know, fuck things up between us."

"Ah, Sid," Geno says.

Beau's not sure if he's supposed to hear any of this, and opening his eyes seems like a lot of work, so he just gives up and lets himself fall asleep.

***

That night, they watch the Food Network, piled on the couch together, Sid leaning against Geno's shoulder with his feet in Beau's lap. Geno's fooling around on his iPad, and Sid looks over when he makes a cooing noise.

Geno hands the iPad to Sid.

"Okay, that's adorable," Sid says, and hands it to Beau.

It's an Instagram picture of one of Geno's friends' daughters, dressed in a tutu, flexing her tiny arms and grinning at the camera.

"Cute," Beau says. 

Geno looks like he's going to push for more adjectives, so Beau hands the tablet back and says, "This is part of why we should break the bond."

Their smiles fade.

"You guys want to have kids soon. Geno, you want to have kids, like, now. And I -- I don't want to get pregnant until after I retire. Which isn't going to be for another ten or fifteen years if I'm lucky."

They're quiet for a moment, and Beau makes himself wait it out.

Then Sid says, "If Geno wants kids sooner than that, we can knock him up during his next heat."

Beau's eyes go wide. Geno flushes and ducks his head, but he doesn't look like he's upset at the idea.

Sid twists around to look at him. "You haven't had a heat since you've been in the US, right? So you're due pretty soon."

Geno looks like he's thinking about pretending not to understand the conversation. He just shrugs, though, and says, "Yes."

Sid looks back at Beau. "I'm just saying, there's always room to compromise."

Beau doesn't know what to say.

"We say, talk after season," Geno says.

"Right," Sid says. "We don't have to decide now, and no one's getting knocked up this early in the season, so -- just think about it."

***

On the flight to Phoenix, Jayson wants to watch the Sandra Bullock-Melissa McCarthy movie that came out last year, the one where omega McCarthy heat-bonds with alpha CIA agent Bullock and has to go with her on some mission overseas. Beau agrees, because he should be over it already.

Maybe he is, because it's actually hilarious. The only part that bothers him, the part he's not expecting, is the end where they admit they're in love. And live happily ever after, he guesses. It's how they all end, but it still makes his heart twist strangely in his chest.

"Awww," Jayson says, leaning into Beau's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, cute," Beau says, and doesn't look over at Sid and Geno.

At dinner, Jayson says, "So are you devastated that Sid and Geno aren't international spies?"

Beau snorts. "I guess I should just be glad none of the pilots or flight attendants were alphas."

Sid and Geno freeze.

Nealer laughs. "Hey, you could have had an exciting life traveling the world, instead of this boring NHL shit."

"Please," Beau says. "I'm only on an entry level contract, but I'm pretty sure I make more than they do. They'd be following me to team dinners and away games."

Sid and Geno are looking at each other now, that unreadable conversation that even the bond doesn't help Beau figure out. 

Then Geno turns away and gives Beau an exaggerated eyebrow waggle. "You be very pretty flight attendant."

Nealer and Bort hoot with laughter and the conversation moves on to terrible Halloween costumes.

That night, when he crawls into bed, Sid rolls onto his side and says, "Hey." 

Beau turns his head. 

"Just. You should know, even if there had been other alphas on the plane, I don't think we would have let anyone who, who was--"

"Not team," Geno says.

"Yeah. We wouldn't have let you go through your heat with anyone who wasn't team."

"Oh."

"I know you think you forced us into this," Sid says, "that we're only in this because of the circumstances, but even if things had been a little different, we would have chosen this."

"Oh," Beau says again.

Sid huffs. He slides his arm around Beau's waist, and the contact quiets everything in Beau's head. "Oh," he says again, a long sigh, and he's falling asleep.

***

Beau's agent calls him to start talking about negotiating his next contract, and his stomach gives a sick lurch at the thought.

"They're going to try to lowball you because of the history of injury issue," Rob says, "but they'll come to the table eventually."

"What if—" Beau stops. "Have they talked about trading me?"

"No, no," Rob says. "If someone's telling you that, they're just jerking your chain. Why? Do you want to be traded?"

This is where Beau should say yes. He can't stay after they break the bond, and it's better for the team if they can get something for him instead of losing him to an offer sheet. He should tell Rob to start shopping him around. But the words just get stuck in his throat. 

"Don't worry, kid. They want to keep you. You'll get what you're worth."

"Thanks," Beau says.

***

The bond doesn't make that much of a difference on the ice. Beau knows where Geno is, but then, he always did.

What's more noticeable is the teams that play dirty. Beau's wrists hurt like they did a week out of surgery after one period, because the Flyers are slashing Sid's hands on every face off, every battle along the boards, and nothing's getting called. 

"It doesn't matter," Sid says flatly on the line change. "Let it go."

But Geno's already skating hard for Giroux. Beau's there to shove Hartnell out of the way when he tries to interfere. 

They beat the Flyers, despite the stupid penalties. It doesn't make Sid any less pissed.

Beau got a split lip out of it, and Geno keeps flicking his tongue over the same spot on his own mouth, chasing the phantom twinge of pain and blood.

It's a home game, and a win over the Flyers, so everyone goes out.

Beau's lost count of exactly how much he's had to drink. It's enough to make him feel loose and warm and happy. He can feel Sid and Geno's buzz, too. He lets Bort drag him out onto the dance floor, because, "The ladies love you, Sunshine. Help me out here!"

Beau giggles. Bort pulls him over to a couple of gorgeous girls with long blonde hair and lush, shiny mouths. Beau can't hear what Bort says to them over the music, but one of them twines her arms around his neck and leans into him, rolling her hips to the beat.

Her skin is smooth and warm under his hands, and her body is soft against his. He feels dizzy, heat pooling low in his belly. He feels that double echo of his own arousal, but with a prickly sharp edge that he can't identify. 

Then Sid is pressed up behind him.

"Hey," Sid says in his ear, hooking his chin over Beau's shoulder. "You can, you know. Go home, um, separately."

It takes him a minute to figure out what Sid's trying to say. But when he does, he shakes his head. The girl he's dancing with is watching both of them speculatively. Beau lets his hands fall away from her and leans back into Sid.

"No, I'm done."

"Are you sure?" Sid asks. "It's okay."

Everything's too much all of the sudden. Beau closes his eyes and the bar spins around him. "I'm ready to go."

"Okay," Sid says. He slides his arm around Beau's waist and steers him towards the door. 

Geno meets them there. He looks pissed.

"Heh, bully," Beau says.

Geno's scowl intensifies. He throws his arm around Beau's shoulders in the cab, and Beau slumps over into him.

Sid herds Beau up to bed when they get home. He starts undoing the buttons on Beau's shirt and Beau bats his hands away. 

"Shower," Beau says.

Sid gives him a skeptical look.

"It'll be fine," Beau says. The dizziness from the bar has faded, he's not going to pass out.

"Fine," Sid says.

Beau leaves the bathroom door open, to make them feel better. He can hear them talking quietly and he thinks maybe it's about him.

The first spill of hot water over skin feels amazing. The low level hum of arousal under his skin comes roaring back, and he lets his eyes close, lets his head tip forward to rest against the cool tile. He wraps his hand around his dick. For a second, his mind is quiet, and then he can feel Sid and Geno in his head like a shout. He doesn't try to block them out. He opens up instead and pushes, pushes that hot tension in the base of his spine, the slide of his hand on his cock. The heat of their desire comes back to him like a wave and his mouth falls open, breath rushing out of him like he's been sucker punched. 

When he comes, his knees go weak and he has to brace one hand on the wall of the shower. He stands there under the spray, letting his breathing settle, letting it wash away the sweat and come. The bedroom is empty when he finally comes out. He feels a tiny pang of disappointment, but he's too tired to do anything but crawl under the covers. 

Sid and Geno are pressed up close against him when he wakes up.

***

When they clinch a playoff spot, the whole team goes out. It's only a couple of beers-- they still have to finish the season, and they've been here before and lost. But Beau feels good about it. They've got Sid this time, and almost everyone else is healthy, or will be by the time the playoffs start. They're playing like the team they all believe they really are.

Beau doesn't actually say any of this, because he's not an idiot, he's not going to jinx it. He just can't stop grinning at the bar. He's not the only one. 

Sid stands up to go relatively early, setting a good example, and Beau is in a good enough mood not care. He doesn't need to spend the rest of the night in the bar.

Geno comes out a few minutes later, when they're standing on the street, waiting for a cab. He throws an arm around each of their shoulders, leaning into them.

"Playoffs!" he says happily, and Beau laughs.

"Playoffs aren't the Cup," Sid says, but he's smiling, too.

Even when they get home, Beau still feels that giddy buzz under his skin. He's not drunk, he's just -- happy.

Geno hooks an arm around his neck and kisses the side of his head. "For that assist," he says.

"Sid got a goal, what are you going to give him?" Beau asks.

He's mostly teasing, but Geno gives Sid a speculative look. Sid flushes and glances away.

"Goal deserve more," Geno says.

He steps in close to Sid. Sid opens his mouth like he's going to argue, and Geno kisses him. It's soft, playful, but it still sends a bolt of heat through Beau's stomach.

Sid blinks and licks his lips when Geno pulls back. Then Sid looks at Beau and says, "He got the game winning goal, what does that deserve?"

If Beau wants, he can make it a joke, and they can laugh about it, and go to bed, and it will be like nothing happened. But he suddenly doesn't want that. The season is almost over, and it means the bond is almost over, too. He doesn't want to think about that, about the future, all he wants is to be happy in this moment.

He takes a couple of steps closer to Geno. Geno holds still, watching him, smile lingering at the corner of his eyes. Beau grins, and kisses him. 

It's not playful. It's slick and hot and serious, and Geno groans into it, his hands coming up to grip Beau's hips.

When Beau breaks the kiss, he glances over at Sid. 

Sid is watching them with wide eyes. "Yeah," he says, "that's a good reward."

He goes up on his toes to kiss Geno, slow and filthy, and Beau licks his lips against the echo of Sid's mouth.

"Bedroom," Geno says hoarsely.

They shed clothes along the way, tripping over each other and laughing. Beau pushes Sid down onto the bed and gets his mouth on Sid's cock before Sid can even prop himself up on his elbows.

"Oh, fuck," Sid says, half-laughter, half-gasp, and Geno cups the back of his head and kisses him.

Beau takes his time blowing Sid, slow and sloppy, and the feedback loop builds until it's just heat and sensation passed between them. He flicks his tongue against the slit of Sid's cock and wonders if he could make Geno come when Sid does.

"Beau," Sid gasps, tugging at his hair. 

Beau pulls off, his hand still wrapped around the base of Sid's dick. He looks up at both of them, and Sid comes, slick and warm against Beau's face. 

"Oh my God," Sid says faintly.

Beau laughs and scrubs at his forehead. 

Geno cups Beau's jaw, tugs him up. Beau thinks he's going to kiss him, but Geno presses his mouth to the corner of Beau's lips. He's licking away the traces of Sid's come and it sends a wave of scalding heat over Beau's skin.

"Oh my God," Sid says again. "Let me, I wanna—"

He nudges at Beau's thigh and Geno pulls back, tugs Beau into his lap, Beau's back against his chest. Sid rolls over onto his belly. 

"His mouth," Geno says in Beau's ear. "You want?"

"Yes, fuck."

Geno wraps his hand around Beau's cock, holds it out for Sid. Sid ducks his head and licks the head of Beau's dick, slides it into his mouth. Beau feels like all the air's been sucked out of his lungs.

Sid swallows him down until his mouth touches the edge of Geno's hand, and pulls back again. 

Geno lifts his other hand, slides his thumb over the curve of Sid's lips. "Sid, your _mouth_."

Sid pulls all the way off and says, already hoarse, "I'll do you next if you want."

"Jesus," Beau say. "Sid, Sid, please—"

Sid takes him back into his mouth, all lush, wet heat, and Geno tightens his grip, and Beau comes, a dazzling flash of sensation. He slumps back against Geno's chest and Geno kisses his shoulder, the hinge of his jaw.

Sid stays on his belly, watching them.

Right.

Beau lets himself flop sideways, out of Geno's lap, so Sid can reach out and stroke Geno's cock. 

"Sid," Geno says, not quite pleading.

Sid grins and kisses the head of his cock, soft and teasing. Geno groans.

Sid smirks up at him, but stops playing around, sliding Geno's cock into his mouth, sucking him off with serious focus. Geno tangles his fingers in Sid's hair, and Sid hums, pushing up into the touch. 

"Sid," Geno says again, raggedly, and then something in Russian that probably isn't any more articulate.

Beau can feel the echo of it when Geno comes, like a ripple of warmth through his own afterglow. 

Geno falls back against the headboard. "Sid, best mouth," he says.

Sid pinches his thigh, but he looks pleased with himself. He glances at Beau. "Shower?"

Beau shakes his head. He is warm and blissed out and he wants to fall asleep like this, still happy.

Sid kisses him, and then Geno. Beau lets them sort the cover situation out. He ends up with Geno spooned against his back, Sid tucked up against his front. He can feel Geno's smile against his shoulder.

"What?" he says sleepily.

"Playoffs," Geno says. 

Beau falls asleep still smiling.

He wakes up counting the number of games until the season is over.

***

Beau gets his first NHL hat trick in the first game of the playoffs. Geno slams into him, lifting him off his feet in a huge bear hug, and then everyone else on the ice is hugging him. On the bench, Sid hooks his arm around Beau's neck and pulls him into a sideways hug, taps their helmets together.

"Good job, Sunshine."

He can't stop grinning. He doesn't even remember what he says to the reporters afterwards. He probably sounded like an idiot. 

It's the playoffs, so no one goes out, which is fine with him. 

"Highlight reel for sure," Geno says, as they're getting ready for bed.

Beau grins and ducks his head.

Sid spits out a mouthful of toothpaste. "Make sure your agent has the footage when he starts negotiating your next contract," he says, bumping their shoulders together as he turns the tap on.

Beau's stomach twists, and his smile slips. 

Sid sees it. "What's wrong? They always play hardball at first, but—"

Beau shakes his head. "If—when we break the bond, I'm, I can't stay in Pittsburgh."

Geno frowns. "Why not?"

"If I stay, we'll probably re-bond. You guys obviously aren't going anywhere, and I'm an RFA at the end of this season, so." He shrugs, looking away. "I won't re-sign, it's just easier this way."

"Have you told your agent this is what you want?" Sid asks carefully.

Beau shakes his head. He should. Rob's been talking about starting the negotiations, but he can't make himself do it. The words just get stuck in his throat.

"Good," Sid says, then bites his lip. "Look, I know we said we'd talk at the end of the season, but I think we need to do this now."

Beau looks over at Geno, like Geno's going to back him up on this. Geno looks grim, uncertain, but he doesn't argue with Sid.

"What's to talk about?" Beau says. He's not ready. He doesn't want to do this in Geno's bathroom. 

Sid takes a deep breath. "I don't want to break the bond."

It's not what he's expecting. "I. What?"

Sid scrubs a hand through his hair. "I thought this was something I couldn't have until I retired. I don't want to give this up. I don't want to give you guys up."

Beau feels like he can't get enough air, his heart beating too fast. 

"I want this, too," Geno says. He lifts his hand like he wants to reach out and touch Beau, but pulls it back. "I always want this. Maybe not first day, first week, but after, I think – this is good, I am happy."

Sid smiles at Geno, and it lights up his whole face, but it fades when he looks back at Beau. "We won't stay bonded if you don't want it," he says. "I just thought—you seemed happy."

Beau nods, and then shakes his head. "It's not—" He has to stop.

"Bond doesn't make you be happy," Geno says, like he knows what Beau's thinking. "If you happy, or if you unhappy, it's real." He shoots Sid a look. "Not hormones."

"How can you say it's real if, if we wouldn't even be together if I hadn't gone into heat?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Geno says. "Before, I think maybe I ask Sid to go through heat with me, because he is my friend and I trust him, and if we bond, it is not end of the world."

Sid takes a quick, surprised breath, but doesn't interrupt.

"Then you get call up, and I think, he is pretty and he plays so good, not as good as Sid—" Geno flashes them both a cheesy grin. "--but still good. I think, I want to play with him for long time, I want to make him smile all the time. So maybe this happen anyway." He shrugs. "But we not be together if you drafted by Carolina, either. Lucky bounce."

"A garbage goal is still a goal," Sid says, and that actually makes Beau smile, tiny but real.

Sid smiles back, hesitant and a little sad. "Sorry," he says. "You don't actually have to decide right this minute. But you know how we feel now, so."

He takes a step back, and Beau reaches out, catches his wrist. "I don't want to break it," he says in a rush.

Sid's smile brightens again, into that huge, dazzling grin. He tugs against Beau's grip, until they're palm to palm and he can tangle their fingers together. He steps closer, near enough that Beau can feel the heat of his body. 

Sid has to lift his chin to press their mouths together. Beau closes his eyes, sways into it. Geno wraps his arms around Beau's waist, solid and warm against his back. Beau can feel the pleased, satisfied noise he makes, and he lifts his other hand to grip Geno's arm.

Geno kisses the back of his neck. When Beau pulls back to take a shaky breath, Geno ducks his head and catches Sid's mouth, kisses him slow and messy, Beau pressed tight between them.

Then Geno bumps his fist against Sid's chest. "Our love is not garbage goal," he says.

Sid laughs and buries his face against Beau's shoulder. Beau laughs too, breathless and giddy, and he can't tell where his joy ends and theirs begins.


End file.
